Kai

He felt so proud of himself, keeping cool on the outside, continuing to sign poster after poster. But all he wanted to do was stand up from his seat and look for Clarissa. Why do you have to keep acting cool, Jongin?! You didn’t even get to see her leave! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Kai started chewing on his lip like he always did when he was thinking. Maybe I should have scribbled my number in there somewhere. Then she would know to how to contact me. But she isn’t from here, either. How would that even work?

And with his mind floating to where Clarissa was, the fan meeting ended.

“Hey, Kkamjong. You’ve been extra quiet today,” Xiumin commented. The two of them were stuck in the backseat of the van after losing to the members’ unique variation of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Kai’s usually good at games, but today, his mind was elsewhere.

“Just thinking,” Kai responded.

“About what? What we’re eating for dinner? Because seriously, I am STARVING. Manager-hyung! What are we eating?” Xiumin shouted. Kai laughed along with the members and stopped worrying about the mysterious foreigner. She promised she’d see me—us—again. I’ll just have to hold on to that promise.

Clarissa

“They are seriously just soooooooo hot. I was having trouble keeping my feels intact, seriously!!!” She gushed to her best friend, Nikki, over the phone.

“Unfgnrifqpek…”

“What?”

“You do know that it’s,” Clarissa could almost see her best friend look at the clock. “…four in the morning in LA, right?”

“Oh, I kn—wait. It’s four?” Clarissa creases her brow. “Hm. I guess I counted wrong. Anyway! Oh my goodness, they are just so adorable!” Nikki grumbled all the way from California, but Clarissa knew her friend was fully awake by then.

“Please don’t tell me you became one of those crazy fan girls who know no personal boundaries, who shout to their oppars like there’s no tomorrow.”

Clarissa started guffawing. “Of course not! But I wanted to do that so badly! How can I not when they’re just iness personified? I mean, some of them are more cute than y, but that’s beside the point. I just wanna put them in my pocket! Sad thing is, probably half of them aren’t even my oppas. Sad face.” And on cue, Clarissa’s face distorted into an exaggerated frown.

Nikki started laughing along. For a few seconds, only laughter was heard on the line.

“Reese, why are you in Korea again?” Nikki was suddenly serious.

“Oh, you know. We just graduated from college. Can’t a girl have a little fun? Besides, I told you. I got a job offer here. It’s not like I’m wasting my life away doing stupid things.” Clarissa was rambling, and they both knew it.

“It’s not because you’re running away from something—or someone—right?”

Silence.

“I’m not. Look. I’ve moved on from him. It’s time you do too.” She forced out a laugh.

Nikki sighed, letting the topic go for now. “Just keep safe, okay? Don’t be an oppa-stalker, and come home as soon as you’re done with that job. I miss you already.”

“I miss you too, Nikki. But don’t worry you’re pretty head over these things, okay? And I can’t promise you anything. These boys are just so irresistible!”

Long after Clarissa said goodbye, though, Nikki’s words still rung in her head:

It’s not because you’re running away from something, right?